Solar-powered bus stop

ABSTRACT

A bus stop illuminating assembly used in public transportation system comprising a solar-powered head assembly for illuminating around said bus stop for security at night and signaling to a bus driver that passengers are waiting; an edge-lit bus schedule assembly to give transportation information to passengers; a post to secure said head assembly and said bus schedule assembly thereon, wherein necessary functions of said head assembly or said schedule assembly are selectively activated by said passengers, by means of a button assembly.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a regular application based on U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 60/412,779, filed Sep. 24, 2002, entitled“Solar-powered Bus Stop”, which is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety for all purposes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an improved bus stop for publictransportation, more particularly to a solar-powered, illuminated busstop.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A typical bus route consists of a series of bus stops. Typically thesebus stops are no more than a post with a sign. While such a bus stop maybe adequate during the day, at night it is not very effective. Firstly,such a bus stop can be difficult for a customer to locate in the dark.Secondly, in darkness it may be difficult for the bus driver to see ifpassengers are waiting, resulting in either unnecessary stops ordrive-bys. Thirdly, such a bus stop does not provide any informationregarding the bus schedule which is legible at night. Fourthly, aconventional bus stop does not provide any light so a customer can readwhile waiting for the bus, leaving customers standing in darkness wherethey may feel insecure.

Increasing urban congestion has led to major efforts to upgrade bustransportation systems in major urban centres, so that more drivers canbe lured out of their cars and into the public transportation system.One important way of improving bus transportation is to increase theconvenience and functionality of bus stops at night. The inventionherein describes a new generation bus stop in which a variety ofillumination functions are provided, with the power coming from a solar‘power plant’ located on the top of the bus stop post.

The illumination functions include a light which automatically comes onat night to indicate the location of the bus stop, a control feature toallow this light to be increased in brightness for a set amount of timeto serve as a convenience/security light, another light aimed at the busdriver and activated by the waiting customer to signal that the customerwants the bus to stop, and a light in a different assembly whichilluminates the bus schedule on demand, so it can be read at night.

General practice, as well as the patent literature, does not teach usabout the illumination of bus stops using solar power. However, othertypes of solar-powered lighting have been described. For example, theApplicant's previous U.S. patent, U.S. Pat. No. 6,013,985, describes asolar-powered, light-emitting diode (LED) hazard light in which asealed, self-contained assembly contains all the necessary componentsfor powering navigation or highway warning lights continuously for fiveyears with no external source of power other than the sun. However, thisis a signaling device which, like other related inventions, does nothave a means for customer activation, nor the flexibility forilluminating signs and schedules, nor the ability to simultaneouslyaddress a variety of illumination functions: it is not suitable for thepurpose of illuminating a bus stop.

With specific regard to using the solar-generated power from the headassembly to illuminate a sign or schedule, the patent literature doesteach us about edge lighting. Edge lighting, which refers toilluminating a sign by shining light into the edge of the sign, ratherthan onto the front or through the back of the sign as is doneconventionally, has been known for many decades. For example, U.S. Pat.No. 2,805,505 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,831,453 describe applications of edgelighting. However, these patents, and others which follow, teach aboutthe use of ‘conventional’ incandescent light sources, typically usingcomplex lensing systems and costly means of re-directing the light outto the viewer. The resulting complexity and cost have, in the past, madeedge-lit signs un-competitive with conventional front-lit or back-litsigns.

LED light sources are better suited to edge lighting than conventionalincandescent or fluorescent sources, because LEDs produce a focusedlight beam than can readily be trained into the edge of a sign withoutwasted light or the requirement for additional lensing. U.S. Pat. No.6,076,294 teaches one means of using LEDs to provide edge lighting of asign. The illuminated sign comprises a transparent plate and a series oflight-emitting diodes. The transparent sign material is engraved fromthe back towards its front face so as to define a series of indicia.Each light-emitting diode is pressed into a recess opening at an outerperiphery of the transparent plate, between the front and back faces.The recesses orient the light-emitting diodes so that a part of theboundary of each of the indicia is disposed within the viewing angle ofat least one of the light-emitting diodes and so that another partthereof is not disposed within the viewing angle of any of thelight-emitting diodes. An opaque material covers the back face of thephotoconductive plate, at least where the back face is visible throughthe front face thereof, except where the photoconductive plate is insetso as to define the indicia. A fluorescent material covers the indiciaand is adapted to fluoresce at a color matching the color of lightemitted by the light-emitting diodes when energized.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,678,334 discloses a lighted display board such as anadvertising sign, information sign, road sign, or the like, comprising apanel of transparent material which has at least one lighting elementfor illuminating the panel from the edge on at least one lateraldefining edge. At least one of the two flat sides of the panel is atleast partially covered with an opacifier film. The panel which isprovided with the opacifier film is provided to backlight displaysymbols to be mounted onto the front flat side seen by an observer. Thelight reaching the contact face between the panel and opacifier film,form the panel into the opacifier film, is scattered by theopacification of the film, so that the entire opacifier film lights upand provides an evenly bright face for backlighting a panel providedwith display symbols.

These patents show the state of the art in edge-lighting of signage. Thefirst patent requires that schedule or sign information be engraved intothe sign. This is expensive, and is clearly not suitable for busschedules, which typically contain a lot of information and have to bechanged from time to time. The second patent is more easily applicableto lighting schedules and signs at bus stops. However, it does not giveeven illumination of the sign surface: the edges adjacent to the LEDlight sources are much better lit than the centre of the sign orschedule.

The technology described herein advances edge lighting by describing anew technique that is very energy efficient, while providing veryuniform lighting of the schedule surface. Furthermore, the technology issuitable for using in an assembly where the bus schedule can be printedon a translucent material and easily slipped into the bus scheduleassembly.

Another aspect of illumination of a bus stop addressed in the presentpatent application is the provision of solar-powered signal light whichcan be activated by the customer to indicate to the bus driver that acustomer is waiting. The concept of such a signal light is firstdescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,355,989, which discloses a ‘publictransportation driver signaling device’ but does not teach how such adevice would be sustainably powered.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the purpose of this document to describe a solar technology thatallows each bus stop to have electrical power independent of theelectricity grid, and to use this power to meet the illuminationrequirements of transit users at the bus stop.

The head assembly of this invention is an independent power plantcomprising a solar panel, a battery, and circuitry which are allcombined into an integrated, self-contained unit that can be mounted onvirtually any bus stop to provide electrical power to illuminate the busstop.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a solar-powered headassembly containing a light source for illuminating the bus stop itselffrom dusk to dawn, and, upon activation by the transit customer, forincreased illumination to improve night-time security and allow thecustomer to read while waiting for the bus.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a solar-powered headassembly that includes a light source which can be activated by thewaiting transit customer to signal the bus driver that there is acustomer waiting at the bus stop.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a solar-powered busstop which comprises an edge-lit bus schedule assembly to givetransportation information which can be read at night by passengerswaiting at the bus stop.

It is a further object of this invention that the solar-powered headassembly provides power to LEDs in the buttons which are used toactivate the lighting functions of the bus stop.

With particular regard to the bus schedule assembly, it is a furtherobject of this invention to utilize LEDs to illuminate the edge ofslightly diffusing acrylic, which in turn back-illuminates the busschedule.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a bus stopused in public transportation system comprising a solar-powered headassembly acting as a power plant and providing power to illuminate, ondemand, LEDs within the head assembly that light the environs of the busstop; and to illuminate, on demand, another LED in the head assemblywhich signals the bus driver, as well as to provide power to illuminate,on demand, a separate bus schedule assembly to give transportationinformation to passengers at night; and finally to illuminate LEDslocated in control buttons located in or near the bus schedule assembly.Preferably, a post will be used to secure said head assembly and saidbus schedule assembly thereon.

According to the present invention, the schedule assembly is illuminatedwith an edge-light function by LED. Further, the schedule comprisesacrylic panel, reflective back material layer and a front cover layer. Atranslucent material layer on which the bus schedule is printed is slidbehind the front cover. The schedule assembly further comprises atouch-sensitive capacitive button to activate illumination.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a bus stop illuminatingdevice comprising:

a power storage device;

a solar panel to charge the power storage device;

at least one light source connected to the power storage device toprovide illumination to the bus stop; and

at least one switch to control illumination of the at least one lightsource.

The present invention also provides alighting device for use at a busstop comprising:

a solar panel;

a power storage device chargeable by the solar panel;

a first light source for illuminating an area adjacent the bus stop;

a second light source to signal a bus to stop;

a bus schedule assembly for displaying bus schedule information;

a third light source to illuminate the bus schedule assembly; and aswitch assembly electrically connected between the power storage deviceand the light sources to allow operation of at least one of the lightsources on actuation of the switch assembly.

In a further aspect, the present invention provides a bus stopilluminating device comprising:

a support structure;

a lighting assembly mounted to the support structure and housing

a power storage device;

a solar panel to charge the power storage device;

at least one light source connected to the power storage device toprovide illumination to the bus stop; and

at least one switch mounted to the support structure to controlillumination of the at least one light source.

These, together with other objects of the invention and with the variousfeatures of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed outwith particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of thisdisclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operatingadvantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, referenceshould be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter inwhich there is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood and objects other than those setforth above will become apparent when consideration is given to thefollowing detailed description thereof. Such description makes referenceto the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic view of a bus stop with a solar-poweredhead assembly and a bus schedule assembly according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a detailed view of the solar powered head assemblyaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exploded view the solar-powered head assemblyaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded view of the illuminated schedule assemblyaccording to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED AND ALTERNATIVE EMBODIMENTS OF THEINVENTION

A solar-powered bus stop can be placed almost anywhere, without regardto the accessibility of grid electricity, and, with proper engineering,requires virtually no maintenance. The present invention utilizes asolar powered engine, light emitting diodes (LEDs), and edge lit signageto provide a multifunction, lighted bus stop.

The solar-powered head assembly of the present invention provides anautonomous power and light source in which a solar panel, a battery,circuitry and light sources are all combined into an integrated,self-contained unit that can be mounted on virtually any bus stop. Thepower from the head assembly can also be used to light a bus scheduleassembly and control buttons located remotely from the head assembly,usually on the bus stop post below the head assembly.

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic view of a bus stop with a solar poweredhead assembly and a bus schedule assembly according to a preferredembodiment of the present invention. According to FIG. 1, the completebus stop 400 according to the present invention comprises a solarpowered head assembly 100. The lighted buttons 300 for controlling theillumination functions are arrayed at the bottom of the bus scheduleassembly 200. The schedule lights up for nighttime viewing when theappropriate button is pressed. The button assembly 300 can also be usedby the transit customer to activate illumination functions of the headassembly 200, including the bus signaling device and thesecurity/convenience light.

FIG. 2 illustrates a detailed view of a preferred embodiment of thesolar-powered head assembly with the bus driver signal light and thesecurity/convenience lighting according to the present invention.According to FIG. 2, the head assembly powers up LED lights 4 used forsecurity and convenience lighting to provide enhanced security forwaiting passengers. The head assembly also provides power to another LEDlight 2 used as a bus driver signal light 2 signaling that passengersare waiting.

FIG. 3 shows an exploded view of the modular solar powered headassembly. According to FIG. 3, a universal mounting piece 6 is providedto mate with round, square, or octagonal post 8 with a predeterminedthickness. That is, the solar powered head assembly according to thepresent invention may be applied to any of the previous, conventionalbus stop posts. A housing 10 is the main portion of the head assemblywhich contains the battery assembly 12 and the LED light 2 for signalingthe bus driver that a passenger is waiting at the bus stop.

The three LEDs 4 are used to provide security/convenience lighting topassengers. A top portion 20 of the head assembly according to thepresent invention is used to hold a domed solar panel 22. According toFIGS. 2 and 3 showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention,the modular solar powered head assembly is preferably a self contained,solar-powered modular power plant for the bus stop. It is designed to becompatible with all common bus stop posts.

In Applicant's co-pending PCT International application No.PCT/CA02/00574 filed Apr. 22, 2002, and entitled “Potted domed SolarPanel Capsule and Traffic Warning Lights Incorporating Same”, thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, Applicantdescribes a polymeric doming process which protects the solar panelwhile allowing it to be placed horizontally and made integral to thelight assembly without unduly compromising the performance of the solarpanel relative to solar panel oriented more vertically in thetraditional manner. Such a potted domed solar panel finds application inthe apparatus of the present invention, however, other solar panelarrangements are also possible.

Preferably, the solar panel 22 is integrated to the head assembly andmounted horizontally so it is not visible from the street level, therebyavoiding the attention of the vandals who might be attracted by a solarpanel protruding from the top of the bus stop. The solar panel 22 isincorporated into the head assembly preferably with the domed techniquedescribed in the above-referenced PCT International application. Thesolar panel is connected to the one or more batteries 12 that are alsointegral to the head assembly, so that the batteries charge when thehead assembly is exposed to sunlight.

Further, the head assembly preferably contains circuitry which controlsthe various lighting functions, including preset shut-down of lights aset time after they have been activated by the transit customer. Thecircuitry may also adjust the power output of the head assembly usingautomatic control software, to ensure that the power supplied isadjusted depending on the availability of sunlight at the bus stoplocation. Commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,573,659 issued on Jun. 3, 2003and entitled “Solar-powered Light Assembly with automatic Light Control”describes automatic light control software which can be used in thecontrol circuitry of the present invention. U.S. Pat. No. 6,573,659 isincorporated herein by reference. The software is designed to enhancethe performance of solar-powered LED lighting by automaticallyregulating the power demand of the solar-powered device to conform toits solar environment.

The head assembly has an inventive modular design so that it canaccommodate different LED light modules performing the followingfunctions: lighting to indicate the location of the bus stop at night,security/convenience lighting for customers waiting for the bus, and awarning light to indicate to the bus driver that passengers are waiting.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded view of the illuminated schedule assemblyaccording to the present invention. A back piece 24 is used to securethe module to the bus stop post. A channel 26 is provided to hold threesheets: a reflective back material layer 28 which is placed at the backof the schedule, a transparent diffusing acrylic panel 30 which isedge-lit by the LEDs in a edge-light module 32, and a protectivepolycarbonate front cover layer 34 behind which the translucent materialon which the bus schedule is printed is slid.

Further, a button assembly 300 is provided for controlling theillumination functions. At least one button is positioned at or near thebottom of the bus schedule assembly 200. as an ‘on’ switch foractivating the schedule lighting on demand. The button is preferablylighted with a dim LED at night so it is easily located in the dark.Other buttons controlling the other lighting features in the headassembly may also be included in or near the bus schedule assembly. Athree button assembly is illustrated in FIG. 4. These buttons 46 aremounted through a text/Braille plate 44 that identifies the function ofeach button. The buttons 46 are secured into a face plate 50 and asupport bracket 42. After a light is activated by pressing theappropriate button, the light will turn off automatically after a presetamount of time to conserve power. However, the security light can be setto go dim rather than turn off, so that the bus stop is always gentlyilluminated at night to indicate its presence. The security light canthen be increased in brightness for a preset time by pressing theappropriate button, after which the security light returns to its dimillumination mode.

The schedule assembly 200 described here uses an edge-lighting effect ofa slightly diffusing acrylic panel 30 instead of a completelytransparent panel. Due to the slightly diffusing nature of the acrylicpanel 30, the light introduced into the edge of the panel emerges fromthe front and back faces of the acrylic panel 30 at very low angles.Light escaping from the back face of the acrylic panel 30 is reflectedback into the acrylic by reflective back material 28 placed behind theacrylic panel 30. Light leaving the front face of the acrylic panel 30enters a white translucent sheet material on which the bus scheduleinformation is printed. The light passes through the translucentmaterial, and is diffused widely so that it can be seen uniformly fromall angles in front of the bus schedule. This method of illumination ofa bus schedule is very energy efficient, while providing evenillumination of the schedule.

The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the presentinvention have been presented for purposes of illustration anddescription. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously manymodifications and variations are possible in light of the aboveteaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order best toexplain the principles of the invention and its practical application,thereby to enable others skilled in the art best to utilize theinvention and various embodiments with various modifications as aresuited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scopeof the invention be defined by the Claims appended hereto and theirequivalents.

1. A bus stop illuminating device comprising: a power storage device; asolar panel to charge the power storage device; at least one lightsource connected to the power storage device to provide illumination tothe bus stop; and at least one switch to control illumination of the atleast one light source.
 2. A device as claimed in claim 1 in which theat least one light source is a light emitting diode (LED).
 3. A deviceas claimed in claim 1 including a second light source to signal a bus tostop and a second switch to control illumination of the second lightsource.
 4. A device as claimed in claim 3 in which the second lightsource is a light emitting diode (LED).
 5. A device as claimed in claim1 including a display region for displaying information.
 6. A device asclaimed in claim 5 in which the display region includes a third lightsource to illuminate the display region and a third switch to controlillumination of the display region.
 7. A device as claimed in claim 6 inwhich the display region comprises a reflective back layer, a lightdiffusing intermediate layer adapted to be edge lit by the third lightsource, a translucent layer on which the information is displayed, and aprotective front layer.
 8. A device as claimed in claim 7 in which thethird light source is a light emitting diode (LED).
 9. A lighting devicefor use at a bus stop comprising: a solar panel; a power storage devicechargeable by the solar panel; a first light source for illuminating anarea adjacent the bus stop; a second light source to signal a bus tostop; a bus schedule assembly for displaying bus schedule information; athird light source to illuminate the bus schedule assembly; and a switchassembly electrically connected between the power storage device and thelight sources to allow operation of at least one of the light sources onactuation of the switch assembly.
 10. The device as claimed in claim 9including a head assembly for housing the solar panel, the power storagedevice, the first and second light sources and control circuitry forcontrolling charging of the power storage device by the solar panel, thehead assembly being mountable to a post defining the bus stop.
 11. Thedevice as claimed in claim 10 in which the bus schedule assembly and theswitch assembly are mounted in a housing mountable to the post.
 12. Thedevice as claimed in claim 9 in which the light sources comprise lightemitting diodes (LED).
 13. The device as claimed in claim 9 in which thethird light source functions to illuminate the bus schedule assembly byedge lighting.
 14. The device as claimed in claim 13 in which the thirdlight source comprises a light emitting diode (LED).
 15. The device asclaimed in claim 9 in which the bus schedule assembly comprises areflective back layer, a light diffusing intermediate layer adapted tobe edge lit by the third light source, a translucent layer on which thebus schedule information is printed, and a protective front layer. 16.The device as claimed in claim 15 in which the light diffusing layer isformed from acrylic.
 17. The device as claimed in claim 15 in which theprotective front layer is formed from polycarbonate.
 18. The device asclaimed in claim 9 in which the switch assembly comprises a plurality oftouch-sensitive capacitive buttons to activate the light sources.
 19. Abus stop illuminating device comprising: a support structure; a lightingassembly mounted to the support structure and housing a power storagedevice; a solar panel to charge the power storage device; at least onelight source connected to the power storage device to provideillumination to the bus stop; and at least one switch mounted to thesupport structure to control illumination of the at least one lightsource.
 20. A device as claimed in claim 19 in which the supportstructure is a post.
 21. A device as claimed in claim 19 including asecond light source in the lighting assembly to signal a bus to stop anda second switch mounted to the support structure to control illuminationof the second light source.
 22. A device as claimed in claim 19including a display region for displaying information mounted to thesupport structure.
 23. A device as claimed in claim 22 in which thedisplay region includes a third light source to illuminate the displayregion and a third switch to control illumination of the display regionmounted to the support structure.
 24. A device as claimed in claim 22 inwhich the display region comprises a reflective back layer, a lightdiffusing intermediate layer adapted to be edge lit by the third lightsource, a translucent layer on which the information is displayed, and aprotective front layer.
 25. A self-contained solar powered assembly forproviding power under user control to a bus stop for the purpose ofillumination of the bus stop.